Title

Author

Defense Date

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Interior Design

First Advisor

Roberto Ventura

Second Advisor

Christiana Lafazani

Third Advisor

Camden Whitehead

Fourth Advisor

Emily Smith

Abstract

The digital age has pushed people closer together than ever before. A device that fits in the palm of your hand allows instantaneous communication with billions of other human beings. People share everyday experiences, passing thoughts, personal photos, sometimes privately, often publicly. Distances between people and places feel reduced. Never has it been so easy to be so emotionally close to so many people.

But as digital experiences become routine, our collective perceptions of closeness and distance shift. As virtual communities become larger, so does our awareness of the actual distance between things. Even though humans can be genuinely close to one another on the internet, fragments of meaning, tone, and physicality are often lost in distance. Over-dependence on digital connection can erode local communities and generate apathy towards the real systems we depend on for survival.

This project aims to investigate strategies designers and architects may employ to regenerate and recontextualize local communities in the digital age. Research suggests that contemporary cities benefit from a softening of the barrier between public and private spaces. Porous and permeable boundaries between interior and exterior realms can allow dialogues to open and communities to grow, resulting in more enriched urban societies.